Surmodics Inc. has acquired Vetex Medical Ltd., a Galway, Ireland-based company focused on venous clot removal, for $39.9 million. The move gives Surmodics a second FDA-cleared mechanical thrombectomy device, Revene, to treat venous vasculature, adding to its Pounce arterial thrombus retrieval system. Founded in 2016, privately held Vetex’s sole product is the Revene thrombectomy catheter. The device received FDA clearance in December 2020 and CE mark approval in May for the mechanical declotting and controlled and selected infusion of physician-specified fluids, including thrombolytics – clot-busting drugs – in the peripheral vasculature.
In a new chapter for the ongoing story of sodium glucose transporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2) inhibitors, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH and Eli Lilly and Co.'s Jardiance (empagliflozin) has become the first therapy of the class to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization vs. placebo for heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The finding comes from the phase III Emperor-Preserved study, which tested once-daily Jardiance 10 mg vs. placebo in nearly 6,000 adults living with HFpEF, with and without diabetes.